LOCKED IN THE ATTIC
The next morning was rainy. Nell came over to the Van Meter farm
between showers, but late, and Jannet declared that it was a shame how
much it rained in the country, where it ought always to be bright.
Nell laughed at that and told Jannet that nothing would grow for them
without the rain. "We have nothing but good showers, Jannet, mostly, at
least. Besides, what fun it will be up in the attic, listening to the
'rain upon the roof.'"
"That is so, Nell, and it will be cooler up there, too, if it rains."
Jannet led the way to the attic as soon as Nell had laid aside her
raincoat. Rather timidly Nell entered, when with a flourish Jannet
threw open the attic door. "Behold the mysterious abode of ghosts, and
our ancestral treasure house!"
"Well, it _looks_ innocent enough, Jannet!"
"It certainly does, but back in the shadows beyond our ghosts may have
their lurking place!"
"Don't, Jannet; you give me the creeps!"
"All right, Nell, we want to have lots of fun to-day. I'm crazy to show
you some of the things I've peeped at, and I hated to get out too much,
too, without somebody after me. But we'll have no interruptions this
afternoon, with everybody away that would bother us, though Cousin Di,
Andy and Uncle Pieter won't leave the house till a short time before
supper. Will you mind if I get supper for us? Daphne will have
everything ready."
"It will be fun, Jannet. I'll help you. You didn't know that I'm a very
fine cook, did you? Honestly, Jannet, I'm learning to do _some_ things
very well, Mother says."
But while the merry tongues ran on, it was more interesting to get to
business. Jannet pointed out some of the trunks and told what she had
seen by peeping into them. Her grandmother's trunk was "sweet," she
said; but she had felt almost as if she were opening a grave to disturb
the things folded away so carefully after her grandmother's passing. It
was different with her mother's, she felt, and a big trunk, old, but in
good condition was full of old silk dresses and costumes that Jannet
had only had time to discover, much less examine. "I'm a gregarious
being, Nell, after being with such a lot of girls most of my life, and
it wasn't enough fun to get these things out by myself."
Jannet opened the window and propped it as before. Fresh, misty air
came in to sweeten the close attic atmosphere. There was only a gentle
patter of drops upon the roof so close to their heads and Nell said
that it was an ideal day for old attics. Jannet disclosed her plan,
which was to see everything first that looked interesting and then
after dinner to dress up in old costumes and explore the rest of the
attic, unless Nell would rather not do that.
The big trunk came first in order. Jannet, with her big bunch of keys
found the right one and opened it. She spread some papers, which she
had brought with her, over the bulging top of the little bed and its
bundles and upon the top of the large chest. Paulina's housekeeping was
not to be criticised, but attics were very likely to gather dust. Then
she began to take out the neatly folded garments, some to be looked at
and laid aside on the papers, others to be exclaimed over. "O Jannet!"
Nell exclaimed. "If your uncle gives these things to you, I'd fix some
of them up and wear them, though it would be a pity to change them!"
But Jannet shook her head. "Uncle has a daughter, though I suppose that
I have as much right to these things as any one. I may have some of
mother's dresses fixed for myself, because I'd love to wear them, but
these ought to stay as they are. I wonder if we can't have a real
costume party some day, Nell,--look here!"
Jannet held up and shook out a gay silk costume, with skirt, blouse,
sheer and thin, and a laced velvet bodice. That was not very old, the
girls thought. Perhaps Jannet's mother had worn that some time. There
was a funny clown's costume and a velvet colonial suit in gray and
blue, with silk hose and buckled shoes and a three-cornered hat. Jannet
said that it was almost the prettiest thing there.
A gypsy outfit included a tambourine and when Jannet danced around over
the attic floor with it, she stopped the performance to see Cousin Di
standing in the attic door and laughing at her. The light clapping of
Cousin Diana's hands was the only announcement of her presence.
"O Cousin Di, come in!" called Jannet, running to that lady and drawing
her within. "_Can_ we have a party and dress up some time?"
"You can and you may," promptly answered Cousin Diana, interested. She
remained long enough to see some of the main treasures, telling the
girls that they had found some excellent relics of a day gone by. While
some of the costumes had been made for special occasions, most of the
trunk's contents were dresses of former days actually worn by the women
of the family. Gayly figured lawns and chintzes, light or heavy silks
with queer waists and sleeves and tight-fitting linings, trailed long
lengths and voluminous skirts about the delighted girls. A square
pasteboard box was found to contain a host of beads and other
decorations used with the fancy costumes.
As Cousin Di had suggested that they dress up in something for dinner,
Jannet declared that they would change the original plan and surprise
them all by doing it.
Nell rather demurred at first. "Won't we feel silly, Jannet? And what
will your uncle Pieter say to us?"
"I'm not afraid of Uncle Pieter any more, and he'll just see that I am
doing what he gave me permission to do. I just love that ducky little
silk costume with the blue velvet laced bodice. I think that it is a
shepherdess costume and I think that Mother must have worn it. Would
you like that?"
"No, indeed. That is just your color. I'll wear the gypsy suit."
"Fine, you carry the tambourine and I'll take the shepherd's crook if
there is any." But Jannet did not find one.
Uncle Pieter was not at dinner, as it happened, which fact relieved
Nell of the slight embarrassment she felt. Cousin Diana and Cousin Andy
admired the result, though the costumes would have been considerably
improved by pressing. Vittoria, who waited upon the table, looked
curiously at the girls, so pretty in their new characters, and Jannet
caught one look that was not very friendly. Perhaps poor Vittoria was a
little jealous. It must be hard not _ever_ to be in things! But Jannet
had too many pleasant things to think about to be disturbed by the
opinion of Vittoria. Remembering what Paulina had said, Jannet asked
Mrs. Holt after dinner how old she supposed Vittoria was. "Probably
about thirty," said Mrs. Holt. "She is engaged to a young man who works
in the village. I think that they are to be married as soon as he gets
his house built. He is building it himself, as he has time, and hopes
to finish it this summer."
The rain had stopped by noon. Jannet and Nell walked around outside for
a little while and went into the kitchen to show Daphne their finery.
Paulina gave them a comprehensive glance, but made no comment. Perhaps
Paulina remembered times when those costumes were worn before this.
Lazily the girls rested in the swing for perhaps half an hour before
they felt like returning to the attic. But by that time their pristine
energy had returned. Jannet had a bright idea and collected cookies,
then decided that fudge and lemonade would be good to take up with
them, "so we'll not have to run downstairs every time we get thirsty,
or hungry, Nell."
That seemed sensible. They spent some time making fudge, a little in
making lemonade, and went up the two flights about two o'clock, the ice
clinking in the pitcher. Nell had been advised to bring her flashlight,
in case they discovered the perhaps imaginary secret passage, and
Jannet had one which was a recent purchase. But they had so much fun
dressing in the various garments and were so hot, that they drank up
all their lemonade and went down again about four o'clock to make more.
Not a soul was around, but the house was locked, they found. They
washed off their dingy hands, for handling the trunks had soiled them,
though they had managed to keep the dresses from being harmed.
After "splashing around" in Jannet's bathroom, they went to the
kitchen, where they not only mixed fresh lemonade, but made sandwiches
when they found that Daphne had left them some delicious ham in thin
slices. "At this rate, Jannet, we'll not need any supper," said Nell,
but Jannet thought that they would "after doing our real work of the
day," Jannet said. And, indeed, the search was just to begin.
Into the far corners, under the eaves, soon went the flashlight rays.
What they disclosed was innocent enough, chiefly cobwebs and dust.
Shrouded shapes of the few old things left around lay here and there.
Most of the central part was floored. In a few places the girls were
obliged to be careful where the boards seemed to be laid across
loosely. Jannet said that the ghost had laid the track for itself, and
Nell remarked that they could follow the trail, then.
Jannet had expected to see some evidences of some one's walking
through dust, but the boards had been swept since she was first in
the attic, she thought. "I tell you what, Nell, I ought to have done
this right at first, before the 'ghost' had a chance to cover up
her--his--its--tracks."
"Probably you ought, Jannet."
They were obliged to look out for bumps upon their heads in places, but
finally they reached what was Jannet's chief objective, the great
chimney between her room and the front bedroom. There were the bricks,
rough and red. But that whole end of the attic was boarded off with a
rough partition. "I _thought_ so!" exclaimed Jannet. "Now for a door!"
But there was no sign of a door in the boards. Certainly, if there had
been a secret passage there, it could not have been concealed, the
girls thought. "If Jan or somebody got in your room, Jannet, it must
have been by the window," said Nell.
"All the same," declared Jannet, "there is _something_ in my wall. It
may not connect with the attic. I suppose now that it doesn't. But I
believe that if _we_ can't find it out, Uncle Pieter will let a
carpenter take away the panels on that side, to satisfy me, and
himself, too. He looked awfully interested, Nell."
"The queer thing," said Nell again, "is that it all seemed to begin in
the attic and then come nearer. Could it _really_ be ghosts, that can
go in or out of walls?" Nell half believed it, Jannet thought.
"What ghost would carefully take a blue comforter through walls and
finally deposit it neatly, well folded, in the closet where it belongs?"
"Well," laughingly declared Nell, "Paulina told you that ghost _did_
take one once, you said."
"Yes, she did," Jannet acknowledged.
It took some time to go over the attic, although if there were some
connection between the attic and Jannet's room, it could only be in a
certain part, the girls thought, and there they spent some time. They
looked dubiously at various piles of boards not far from the partition.
Some old carpet close to it Jannet with great effort drew aside till
she could see how the floor looked at the angle. The girls grew a
little tired. What was the use of doing it all to-day? Jannet suspected
the big cupboard that stood against the partition, but their combined
strength could not move it, and there was no indication of a way
through it and the partition.
"Let's go down, have our supper, and give this up till to-morrow, Nell.
We had too much fun dressing up first. Besides, we ought to have some
one help us move the heavy stuff. I'll ask Uncle Pieter."
Nell, who was quite ready for something different, assented. Gradually
they made their way back to the trunks, though they did pause again to
examine anything that seemed worth while to know about. If their hands
had been soiled before, they were "filthy" with the "dust of ages,"
Nell declared,--"with all apologies to Paulina, Jannet."
Again jingling her keys, Jannet went to the door, which she had closed
before they began their search in the other part of the attic, though
why Jannet scarcely knew. Surely there was no one to watch them. "Why!"
Jannet exclaimed, "it doesn't open!" She looked at Nell, startled. "Try
it for yourself!" Nell shook the door and they looked at each other in
dismay.
"Could Paulina have locked it by mistake?" asked Nell.
"Some one very likely has locked this on purpose," declared Jannet
presently. The two girls stood by the door, puzzled, slightly alarmed.
"This _is_ a mess, Nell. It doesn't look as if I'd get you that good
supper we were going to have."
"Perhaps we can call to some one from the window."
"Perhaps we can. But the tenant house is where all the evening
activities are, unless some one has an errand here. Paulina said that
she would be back about seven o'clock, unless she took a notion to go
to prayer-meeting with her sister. They drive to the village church.
Daphne doesn't sleep here. No telling how soon the girls will come
back,--but _who_ locked us in, then?"
"Never mind, Jannet. We have cookies, the fudge and something to drink.
Your guardian angel must have told you to bring those up. Do you
suppose we'll have to be up here after _dark_?"
Jannet shook her head regretfully. "You be sister Ann, Nell, and watch
the window for any one that might come. Paulina is the most likely one
before dark, and it does not get dark early, fortunately. I'm going to
see if I can't open the door. I will know enough to lock the door
myself the next time I am up here, and leave my key in the lock on this
side. That's what she has done, you see, and I can't get my key in. I
left it on the ring with the rest, or--"
"You say 'she,'--how do you know that it isn't 'he'?"
"I don't know it, I just think it."
Nell asked nothing more but sat on a box by the low window, to watch
like the sister of Bluebeard's wife. Jannet tried to poke the key,
which was on the outside, and force it out, but with no success. Then
she shook the door and called. "The trouble is," said she, "if Paulina
hears a racket in the attic, she will think it the ghost, and Hepsy and
Vittoria sleep over in the new part. But there is no use in calling or
going into hysterics over it. If the one who locked us in is here, very
naturally she wants us to stay." Jannet thought of burglars, but did
not mention that theory. It was bad enough for Nell as it was. She had
heard the family car drive off some time before.
Jannet worked at the key, trying to force it out. She found a bit of
wire and she used the smaller keys; but when one became wedged in so
tightly that she had difficulty in getting it out again, she gave it up.
Nell did her best to be cheerful, but Jannet could see that it was an
effort. She took Nell's place at the window and they ate what cookies
and fudge were left and drank lemonade with less than their customary
flow of conversation. It was, indeed, a gloomy prospect, that of
spending the night in the attic.